A Long Petal of the Sea

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The central characters spend much of the novel rebuilding their lives from nothing. Have you ever had to rebuild in some way? How did you handle it?

2. Did Allende’s portrayal of love and infatuation change your understanding of love in any way? Which relationship resonated with you the most?

3. How much control do you think people have over their own fates? What has shaped your opinion on this question, and is your perspective the same as the novel’s?

4. How did you feel about Roser and Victor’s extramarital affairs? Did they impact your understanding of societal expectations surrounding relationships?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Much of the novel deals with civil war and political unrest. Does Allende position both sides of the conflict as sympathetic in some way, or is the conflict more cut and dry?

2. How do the subtly different cultures of Spain, Chile, and Venezuela impact Victor and Roser’s journey?

3. What can we learn from the way the novel handles these historical conflicts that we can apply to upheaval in the world today?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Of all the characters in the novel, who underwent the most significant change? Explain your reasoning. 

2. What role does art play in the lives of the characters? Why do you think the author represented creativity more in her female characters than her male ones?

3. Who is the primary antagonist of this novel? How do their motivations compare with those of the secondary antagonists?

4. The novel includes characters across three different generations. How do generational divides and influences impact the plot?